09 November 2022
Subtitling translation rates in 2022
Subtitling a video is a service that is often provided in one or more languages. The process of localizing a subtitle file is also known as a type of subtitling translation service. Other related services could be added on top. Subtitle burning services are also often available, although whether it is needed will depend on the video.
The simplest subtitling job would be to subtitle a video in the same language as the spoken audio. This process is simply known as subtitling. A subtitling job would involve a transcription service where the words are typed out, and then they would need to be formatted according to time stamps.
Market rate prices per minute for agencies range from £6 to £26 on average with a minimum project fee of around £60.
Some more affordable, not highly advisable options come from automated processes quickly reviewed by non-native English speakers. They will use an automatic transcription tool to create machine-generated subtitles with a very rough edit of an SRT (SubRip) or similar timed-text formatted file type.
Alpha CRC knows that top-quality content can only be delivered by top-quality processes. When a project has been handled with the utmost care from the inception until the end, it only makes sense that it is subtitled with the same care.
Have a look at Alpha CRC’s subtitling services to learn more.
Usually subtitling rates are offered per minute, not per hour, as most videos are under an hour length.
Transcription is the process of typing out spoken content to obtain a written version. This service service does not include time-stamps or any other time codes, so pure transcription is not suitable where subtitles are needed.
As mentioned earlier, subtitling is often priced per minute, not per word, as the content might vary a lot depending on the length of the video, as opposed to the number of words it contains.
When a subtitling job includes translation, it involves a process where the spoken text is transcribed, then formatted in a time-coded file. After that, it is translated into the target language.
As it involves a translation process, it is difficult to have apply rate per minute formula, as translation jobs are typically priced per word.
To put it into a simple way, this type of project would involve a translation step in addition to transcription and formatting.
Entreprise localization agencies use advanced translation tools that allow linguists to preview the video and subtitles while translating. This way, they make sure that they leverage the translation assets (TMs and termbases) as much as possible, while ensuring that the final subtitles look as they should.
Translation assets such as translation memories are regularly maintained by linguists and are used all the time while working on any projects to make sure that top-quality is delivered consistently.
Subtitling transforms the spoken word to on-screen text and preserves the integrity and authenticity of your narrative across multiple languages and platforms.
The most common formats of subtitle files are .srt and .vtt files. They are simple text files that contain time stamps. These time stamps indicate the minute and second when a new line of subtitle appears on the screen.
To ensure the best outcome in the subtitling process, Alpha CRC first receives the video files and then decides the preferred format for the subtitles with the client. This often depends on the final intended use of the video and the video editing software that the client uses (i.e.: Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or others).
Once that is agreed, there comes the question of translation. Do the subtitles need to be localized into new languages? If that is the case, the subtitles created in the original language are sent to translation.
A vital part of this process is quality control, also known as QC. What is QC in subtitling? It is, essentially, making sure that the subtitles fit the measurements and character limit for each language that is being localized.
To do this, linguists review and manually adapt the length of the lines of the subtitle files to make sure they fit on the screen. They watch and test the subtitles, and modify the time stamps to make sure that the lines appear at the right time.
Once that the language package is translated and QCed in all languages, the deliverables are sent to the client.
